“Ask Me Anything!”
Since making the full-time move to Rehoboth in 2006, several themes seem to recur every year. Great excitement and anticipation fill the air as Memorial Day weekend nears and along with it, the start of another summer.
Then, in the blink of an eye, the end of August hits us and a melancholy feeling takes over. I realize I’ve only been to the beach twice, have played the jockey game at Funland just once (but I did win!), and the sun will soon set on another summer season.
Yet, at the same time, a yearning prevails for less traffic, easier parking, and...I can hear the locals’ collective cheers…NO METERS! It’s always a bittersweet time.
For now, with Labor Day just around the corner, the CAMP Rehoboth family sets its sights on Sundance! After months of preparation, our summer-ending extravaganza truly takes a village. In its 32nd year, and under the visionary direction of co-founder and Interim Executive Director, Murray Archibald, over 200 volunteers will touch a part of what becomes our largest fundraiser of the year.
And those volunteers include the Board of Directors who, at this time last year, were in the midst of its latest strategic planning initiative, and gearing up for a Community Discussion to gain valuable insight from members, stakeholders, and the community at large.
Toward those efforts to collect as much input as possible, at Sundance 2018, board members sported large, yellow pins saying “Ask Me Anything!” In so doing, our intent was to make ourselves available to answer questions, field concerns, and to address whatever was on someone’s mind—related to CAMP Rehoboth, of course. Fortunately, many of you did. So much so that we will be doing the same thing again this year.
Look for us because we want to hear from you, especially now as we start to shift our attention to the executive leadership transition in the weeks and months ahead. Fellow board member, Jack Morrison, said recently, “Following the refinement of CAMP Rehoboth’s vision, mission, and values, and listening carefully to feedback from membership and the community, we engaged in a thoughtful and professional process of updating CAMP Rehoboth’s strategic direction, policies, and procedures, all of which are related to the successful transition of CAMP Rehoboth’s leadership.” We always want to know what’s on your mind, so don’t be shy!
Plus, it’s a great way to meet our newly elected board members, Wes Combs and Linda Gregory.
Wes, a founding member of CAMP Rehoboth, is the owner of Combs Advisory Services, and is a nationally recognized diversity and inclusion expert specializing in communications and organizational development. Wes and his husband, Greg, reside in DC and Rehoboth.
Linda, recently featured in Letters as a “Local Hero,” founded the Rehoboth chapter of PFLAG (Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) in 2011, and has served on the Council of Advocates (formerly Elders) in conjunction with CAMP Rehoboth since its inception in 2017. She and her husband, Howard, live in Milton.
Welcome, Wes and Linda. I look forward to working with you, and all of the board, as we chart this next chapter for CAMP Rehoboth together.
Happy Sundance! ▼
Chris Beagle is President of the CAMP Rehoboth Board of Directors and is a realtor at Berkshire-Hathaway-Gallo Realty in Rehoboth Beach.